Show Reviews

This second set was absolutely phenomenal! Not one lull, not one bad song choice, the band had the crowd on a string. Of the 7 I have seen this tour this second set is the one I will be playing back for years. Highlights go from Carini thru hood which is almost the whole set. I can't remember a set where I can't find any changes I would make. Get this show now!

Like July 7th performance, there is joyous Smooth Criminal Jam (MJ) here right in the middle of 2001 Alpine Valley 6/30/12. That is twice for the tour. To ramble.... the beginning of Michael Jackson's original "Smooth Criminal" boasts a cool funk techno beat that PHISH has adopted in 2012 during the middle of 2001 Also Sprach!! Alright! Alright, now!!! Thank you Trey for being clean and sober. I love you. We love you! Please! Don't stop touring please. Long live Michael Jordan and Michael Jackson and Tom Marshall and Page and Jon and Cactus. Phish 9.0.

Headed up north from Indy with my car windows down, broken a/c, both me and my buddy were drenched in sweat. We had just left a blazing 2 night monsoon that crushed us at the Creek. I was even more psyched at what to expect at the Midwest Mecca. Alpine Valley here we come! This venue has been known to have memorable shows in recent history and the boys would live up to it on this night.

As always we stayed at the lodge at Alpine. The pre-game festivities were in full effect and easy access into the venue and pavilion seats only made our crews mindset and excitement at an all time high going into this one. Before we new it the band was walking on stage.

To get things started the band chose a bluesy rock tune with My Soul. Page did a nice job out of the gates singing this one loud and clear. Trey also chimed in with a hard hit blues undertone in the last 2 min jam. I felt the crowds energy began to pickup more through Daniel Saw but didn't get down to the nitty gritty and get the show on the road until AC/DC Bag. This was a short and concise version but I especially liked Trey's transition into Moma Dance. The early part saw good musical banter back and forth between Trey and Fishman. Mike's straight funk beats delivered the message and got everyone to their feet. Pushing me further from shore...I was soaking this one in and I began to feel a big night ahead of us. Next Trey hit the chords that would lead us into a perfectly placed Runaway Jim. Roughly 2 min into this jam we get a smooth bass beat from Mike while Trey hits his high screeching notes with rifle precision and at machine gun speed. The band was really letting loose over the last 3 songs which appropriately led into a breather with Let it Loose. I like the lyrics to this song and Page did it justice on vocals. The next 4 songs was my highlight early on and would take this set to new heights.

The sour taste I once had from leaving out Reba at MSG '11 was soon all but forgotten after being showered with this versions beauty. We all enjoy the early part sing along but a few minutes in I fell into a darker confused state, thoughts scrambling through my mind as the band plays a juggernaut of fast and slow tempos. What seemed like longer than 5 minutes of mind obscurity soon turned into the mental low I needed to appreciate what would follow. Trey and Fishman went back and forth between quick guitar strumming and heart wrenching drum fills that would transition this piece into complete euphoria. Trey began to play the sweet sounds that bring everyone to a calm and collected consciousness. The whole band at this point would connect at the height we expect from Reba. The whistling soon brought me back to reality and confirmed my love for this song. Clocking in at 13 minutes I had to bag and tag this version as a gem. The KDF->The Sloth combo allowed the band to dive deeper into jam mode. In the last 4 minutes of KDF Trey absolutely annihilates his turn. Knifing through high screeching notes and repetitive lower notes. One can't help hear both Mike and Fishman rock steady behind his notes as they've been all night. The Sloth is one of my favorites so for me it was just icing on the cake. Ocelot came up next and we got a flavorful taste of Dead like, spacey and other worldly type jamming. I'm always blown away at the creative heights the band takes this song.

Poor Heart and When the Circus gave both my self and many around me a quick rest before the set rounded out very strong with above average versions of Timber and Oh Kee Pa->Suzy set closer. So much to talk about at set break. But it would only be 2 hours from now that most of this first set would be overshadowed by perfection.

Lights...

BDTNL opened up the second set followed by Carini. The band used both of these songs as appetizers for the meat of the set. Just as Carini's exploratory jamming was entering a new realm Trey transitioned into Wilson and chose to get the crowd involved with the songs typical back and forth band to crowd banter. Once that came to an end we then boarded ship for the voyage into uncharted waters.

As a powerhouse of leg one Golden Age sure lived up to its reputation on this night. Half way through the song just as Treys first solo starts to fade Page begins to shred on the keys. Mystical organ and synthesized electronic sounds are countered by Mikes funky but playful array of bass torpedos. Trey continues to hold his notes longer and steady...then he slowly transitions into the ever so popular and recognizable 2001 rift. Page chimes with additional electronica while Fishman plays Golden Age drum beats....what!?!?! Was this a 2001 tease or are they going for it. All consciousness of time and space has left and before we knew it we were into 2001. It was placed perfectly to keep the spacey and darker theme that Golden Age carried. If there would be any perfect contrast to our dark voyage through GA & 2001 it would be a sizzling Rock and Roll. As the band moves the song into its jam segment every member slows down and truly lets the music breath. Patience, continuity, explorative jamming, it had it all. As I had entered a new realm of blissful awareness Trey began to play the opening notes of Steam. The steam effects only added value to the dark territory we had found ourselves lost in. The guitar solo at the middle of the song would pale in comparison to the last 1 minute of the song. This was completely unique and like nothing I had heard from Phish. I've tried to dissect it and I almost can't...pure improvisation at its phinest. And then to top it off this peaceful melody would be what transitions the band into a 10 minute Piper. I won't compare this version with MSG '11 which is mind altering in it self but this one gave us the jolt we needed. Every time I hear Quinn the Eskimo I literally feel like jumping for joy. This was one hell of a set and show...I thought for sure this was the set closer. Instead we get a Harry Hood->Zero. My lord...Hood gave Mike a chance to really show off his prowess out of the gates with beats that sent shock waves throughout the pavilion. I love how this song continues to build and build until we get to the final "Thank you Mr. Miner, thank you Mr. Hood"...there may not be a phiner segment in the Phish catalog then the last 4-5 minutes of Hood. I sure feel good about Hood. Zero was absolutely stellar to close out this masterfully played second set. This was a top notch version that should not be overlooked. Streets of Cairo teases just added fuel to this fire. Zero will always be one of my favorite Phish songs and just a perfect way to end a great set.

Good times, bad times couldn't of been more fitting as an encore. Zeppelin cover always does it for me.

Tonight affirms the nostalgia that Alpine Valley brings to the table and there was a magical piece of Phish history made tonight. I enjoyed ever minute of it and will continue to come to see Phish at this venue for as long as they keep playing.

Great show Hood was a soft one... the one downside in everyones book but oh well it was a fun show. if the hood was intense it wouldve made the 2nd set boost alot more but again this is the lesser of the 4 shows I saw so I cant complain, but yea it was a soft hood obv...

I felt like the first set was pretty lacking in both effort and intensity. Enjoyed the Bag, Jim, Reba and Timber. Agree with the prior review, Timber was the highlight. I actually wrote "absolutely paled in comparison to UIC" next to "Let it Loose" ... disappointing.

Fortunately the second set was an absolute scorcher!

I was a little bummed at the sloppiness/tempo of "Golden Age", but loved the interesting jam and the Waitresses' "I know what boys like" teases within. Carini and Rock and Roll were my highlights.

I doubt I'll ever listen to the whole first set again, but the second will get a lot of spins.

I rate this show right at average. I admit this is partially b/c of the set list. Nothing sucked but not alot of ear-gasms either. Moma dance was good, Reba was typical, trey messed up the lyrics in sloth but hey it wouldn't be a phish show if he didn't, really enjoyed circus, timber was prob my highlight of the first set, everyone was rocking to suzy as a good way to end the first set.

During the break, the guy next to me really wanted Y.E.M. (only played once this summer) I wanted and had a fellin they would play steam sense not played in 2012

Set 2

When they opened with # Line, i was like "well, i better get my steam", carini thru golden age was rockin' but when jammed into 2001 everyone lost it, everyone seemed to rage hard for those 5 min and was IMO the highlight on the night, rock n roll was good, i got my steam (its such a cool, eerie song), piper was average, quinn was good but it seems like they played it just a few shows ago, H. Hood is one of my favorite songs and this version was below average, just sounded off, character zero was quite good, GTBT was a good encore, I give the whole show a 5.5

I was invited by schoolmates three hundred mile away. With no context, except the age-old stereotypes, I attended my first set of Phish shows at Alpine Valley in the summer of 2012. I was open-minded and without reluctance or expectations. After two entrancing nights of rock-n-roll, wooks and glow sticks I was hooked. The group I went with would become some of my dearest friends. The band I saw that weekend carved a new facet in my life and I’m thankful to be part of this music experience.

Add a few shows, a few tours, a few years and the setlist still holds up. Imagine it through the ears and mind of someone totally unfamiliar with Phish’s music - First set: My Soul opener! Reba, Sloth, Timber and Suzy closer! Second set: Golden Age > 2001 > RnR > Steam, Quinn and GTBT encore! Yes, thank you! I’ll definitely be back tomorrow.

While gearing up for Sunday 7/20/14 in Chicago by listening to this show (Should have been back at Alpine this summer! Oh well.) I noticed a young woman calling out a short time into "Kill Devil Falls," "Whew!! Yeah!" and then the same voice after "Character Zero," "Yea! F*%$ing awesome!." I concur.
Fun stuff. Really enjoyed both nights at Alpine. Thank you, fellas. Please come back to Alpine in 2015.

great show. Made the drive from minneapolis to see them. It was my birthday and It was awesome. Loved the second set. I was hoping for an insane reba jam, but it ended up being rather average. The hood seemed a little sloppy and the guys weren't too hooked up. Suzy was a rager at the end of the 1st set. Again the second set was all good, super funky and lots of good jamming.

I first came to Alpine Valley in 1996 for Phish’s first time at the historic venue. I hated it. The lawn was way too steep, the sound was pretty awful, and they triple parked us in the lot. It’s funny what 16 years can do.

I’ve got it pretty good now. I have a place to crash about 30 minutes away, a secret route to the venue, and almost always pavilion seats. On the rare occassion I don’t have pavilion seats the sound on the lawn has vastly improved over the last decade and a half. Not only that but I’ve been to almost every show Phish has played at Alpine so a certain nostalgia tinged with fondness (isn’t that all nostalgia?). I’ve come around on the place. It’s pretty much my Phishy home.

The first set was more of a rocker than anything else, starting with the bluesy My Soul, kind of a mellow start. The show kicked off proper with AC/DC Bag, but it didn’t deviate at all from the standard path. That is about the best way to describe the whole show really. At no point was I surprised, shocked or blown away by a totally new direction. It’s not to say it wasn’t good or that I didn’t like it; I did, really! I guess you could say I’m spoiled or that some of the shows I’ve seen have just been jaw dropping.* There was a lot of really tight playing which I’ve come to expect in 3.0 but that great exploration, the magic of the four or five song set has not really been around of late.

It was a pretty bluesy set all things considered. The aforementioned My Soul, Bag has a bit of the blues and the Stones’ cover, Let it Loose for certain. A Kill Devil Falls, Sloth and Ocelot really kept the theme with what has become the standard for Alpine a very solid Reba. Yes, BTW, I did catch Page’s flub at the very end of Reba but I can’t say that it ruined the song. To the anal retentive types out there, get over it. A few personal favorites also peppered the set, Runaway Jim and Timber. Timber especially is a favorite ever since an fantastic version I saw in Deer Creek, again kind of rekindling hopes of that great launch into an exploratory jam. At a 6:53 running time, not so much. The set wound up with a fun Oh Kee Pa ->Suzy and I was happy, if not satisfied.

Kind of a fun fact, I started writing this blog at the set break. Other than the small keyboard, it wasn’t so bad and kind of fun. I wasn’t in the most social of spots so I was pretty much left to my own devices to think and type, type and think. The lights went down and I was pleased to hear Backwards Down the Number Line, kind of feeding into my already nostalgic mind set. It is after all a song about old friends and birthdays and remembering when. I thought for a moment Carini was going to take off but then it went to the arena rock anthem, Wilson. If there was a true crescendo to the set, it was Golden Age->2001->Rock and Roll, 25 minutes of just pure beauty.

The rest of the set was solid, but not many personal favorites, or better said there were songs that I really like, but much better versions out there. I’m thinking specifically of Piper and Harry Hood. When I first encountered Piper it was a slow building song to a simple joyous release. Now they seem to rush the beginning and it’s become a weird Poor Heartish version of Hood. Speaking of Hood this version is…ok. I mean I love this song, it is one of my favorites, on the dream set list for sure, but this one doesn’t enter the pantheon of great Hoods. The set ended with Character Zero, which is an encore song really, so my feeling when they wrap the set up with some like this the band is pretty much saying, “we’re done.” I made for the car and I could hear Good Times Bad Times coming out. As with almost every show I’ve been to since 1998, missing the encore means I’m not missing much.

I first came to Alpine Valley in 1996 for Phish’s first time at the historic venue. I hated it. The lawn was way too steep, the sound was pretty awful, and they triple parked us in the lot. It’s funny what 16 years can do.

I’ve got it pretty good now. I have a place to crash about 30 minutes away, a secret route to the venue, and almost always pavilion seats. On the rare occassion I don’t have pavilion seats the sound on the lawn has vastly improved over the last decade and a half. Not only that but I’ve been to almost every show Phish has played at Alpine so a certain nostalgia tinged with fondness (isn’t that all nostalgia?). I’ve come around on the place. It’s pretty much my Phishy home.

The first set was more of a rocker than anything else, starting with the bluesy My Soul, kind of a mellow start. The show kicked off proper with AC/DC Bag, but it didn’t deviate at all from the standard path. That is about the best way to describe the whole show really. At no point was I surprised, shocked or blown away by a totally new direction. It’s not to say it wasn’t good or that I didn’t like it; I did, really! I guess you could say I’m spoiled or that some of the shows I’ve seen have just been jaw dropping.* There was a lot of really tight playing which I’ve come to expect in 3.0 but that great exploration, the magic of the four or five song set has not really been around of late.

It was a pretty bluesy set all things considered. The aforementioned My Soul, Bag has a bit of the blues and the Stones’ cover, Let it Loose for certain. A Kill Devil Falls, Sloth and Ocelot really kept the theme with what has become the standard for Alpine a very solid Reba. Yes, BTW, I did catch Page’s flub at the very end of Reba but I can’t say that it ruined the song. To the anal retentive types out there, get over it. A few personal favorites also peppered the set, Runaway Jim and Timber. Timber especially is a favorite ever since an fantastic version I saw in Deer Creek, again kind of rekindling hopes of that great launch into an exploratory jam. At a 6:53 running time, not so much. The set wound up with a fun Oh Kee Pa ->Suzy and I was happy, if not satisfied.

Kind of a fun fact, I started writing this blog at the set break. Other than the small keyboard, it wasn’t so bad and kind of fun. I wasn’t in the most social of spots so I was pretty much left to my own devices to think and type, type and think. The lights went down and I was pleased to hear Backwards Down the Number Line, kind of feeding into my already nostalgic mind set. It is after all a song about old friends and birthdays and remembering when. I thought for a moment Carini was going to take off but then it went to the arena rock anthem, Wilson. If there was a true crescendo to the set, it was Golden Age->2001->Rock and Roll, 25 minutes of just pure beauty.

The rest of the set was solid, but not many personal favorites, or better said there were songs that I really like, but much better versions out there. I’m thinking specifically of Piper and Harry Hood. When I first encountered Piper it was a slow building song to a simple joyous release. Now they seem to rush the beginning and it’s become a weird Poor Heartish version of Hood. Speaking of Hood this version is…ok. I mean I love this song, it is one of my favorites, on the dream set list for sure, but this one doesn’t enter the pantheon of great Hoods. The set ended with Character Zero, which is an encore song really, so my feeling when they wrap the set up with some like this the band is pretty much saying, “we’re done.” I made for the car and I could hear Good Times Bad Times coming out. As with almost every show I’ve been to since 1998, missing the encore means I’m not missing much.

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